The Dinosaur Fighters
by ElliotJA
Summary: Arriving on Siluria, the dinosaur planet, the Doctor makes a new friend and discovers something most disturbing is going on. FINAL CHAPTER IS NOW UP.
1. Chapter 1

With the TARDIS materialized, the Doctor skipped through the doors to find himself in a dense rainforest of waving green ferns and exotically coloured flowers. "Ah, jungle!" he exclaimed pleasurably to himself. "Oh yes, I do love a good jungle. You can never have too many jungles!" An insect the size of a small mouse suddenly flew in close to his face with a loud buzzing. "Oi, go on, shoo!" the Doctor snapped while swatting at the insect, causing it to dart to a safer distance while still buzzing. "Now look, I know you're curious, the grey-haired Time Lord said to it, "but some of us need our personal space, yes?" As though understanding him, the insect whizzed quickly away.

Glancing round, the Doctor stuck the index finger of his right hand in his mouth, sucked it for a few seconds, and then withdrew it. "Let's see...feels like some time in the third milennium AD...a Saturday..."

"Er...excuse me?" The Doctor whirled in the direction of the new voice to see a young woman slowly appearing from behind the TARDIS. Her hair was short, reddish-blonde and spikey, her fair skin tanned by the sun. From where he was standing the Doctor could see that her left eye was blue and her right was green. Her clothes consisted of a brown short-sleeved top, beige pants and mud-stained walking boots. "I'm not being funny or anything, but...who are you?"

The Doctor stood still, analysing the situation, and then responded "I'm the Doctor. That's it, by the way. I know it sounds a bit odd, but it really is just the Doctor. Though I have been called other things: John Smith, the Oncoming Storm, but...let's just stick with Doctor."

The girl was eying him warily. "My name's Ylsal. You don't work for the arenas, do you? The fighters?"

The Doctor blinked in bewilderment. "Arenas? Me work for arenas? I'm a milennia-old wanderer in time and space. Arenas? That'd be a bit below me, wouldn't it?"

Ylsal sighed apologetically and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just...I just don't like anyone coming here to harm them, you know?"

The Doctor was not comprehending. "Them?" he said. "Who's 'them'?" At that moment a loud, deep call reverberated through the jungle. "I know that sound," the Doctor murmured before dashing off in the direction it originated from, Ylsal close on his heels. Pushing through some fronds, he found himself looking down into a valley through which flowed a wide river, and on its' banks, below the looming bulk of a planet in the sky, he saw them: Magnificent herds of apatosaurus and triceratops drinking the water and devouring the vegetation. A lone stegosaurus strolled casuall by, its' spiked tail lazily swaying. The Doctor grinned. "Well, well. Siluria," he said, recognizing where he was.

OOOO

"So, what's this about arenas and fighting?" the Doctor asked Ylsal as they sat on the ground at Ylsal's camp, not far from the TARDIS, and drank coffee from metal cups.

"I'm from Kovos, the neighboring planet," Ylsal explained. "The first settlers arrived there seven hundred years ago, during the time of the Earth Empire. They'd heard about this world, but the Empire had declared it a national park, so for a while the dinosaurs were pretty much safe."

"But then things changed," the Doctor guessed. "The Empire fell apart, and Earth lost control of this region of the galaxy."

Ylsal nodded sadly. "That was when it started. At some point my people - God, I hate that fact - got the idea it was... _fun_ to take dinosaurs from here back to Kovos and...fight them in arenas. To kill them for sport. It's become a big part of the culture; dinosaur fighters are among Kovos' top celebrities. They've even found their way into government, all because they torture innocent animals!"

"Pudding brains." The Doctor almost sneered the phrase. "I know their kind of old. Attacking and killing animals to show off their prowess, to inflate their infantile egos when their primate brains are too under-developed for them to try anything more meaningful, to the baying of crowds of numbskulls. Most of them end up teaching PE."

Ylsal continued: "Not everyone back home feels the same way though. There are some who see it for what it really is. We stage protests outside the arenas, share our stories on the planetary info-web. The government calls us nuisances and busybodies! We never hurt anyone, but the cops are always trying to stop us protesting." Her eyelids lowered slightly and she hung her head. "It's in my family. My grandfather, dad and uncle were all dinosaur fighters, until they retired. Always going on about it to everyone. Really proud of themselves." She sighed deeply, myriad memories and emotions rising to the surface. "When I told dad how I felt, and refused to go to the arena and join the rest of the crowd, he...he said I didn't appreciate my culture, or what he'd done to provide for me and mum. We both got so angry. I smashed one of his old trophies and he...said he didn't want to see me again. I left home the next day and haven't been back since."

The Doctor said nothing, just listened in remorseful silence to her story. "I've been living on my own for the last few years," Ylsal was saying. "I like coming here, appreciating the dinosaurs while I can. I got a friend who drops me off and picks me up after five days. Been here four so far." She looked directly at him. "And you, Doctor? You have any friends? Family?"

The Doctor was saved from answering by a sudden commotion in the rainforest behind them. Panting and sweating, a disheveled man stumbled into view and froze as he saw them. His clothing was stained and torn in places, and he bled from small cuts on his face and hands. His eyes were wide and feverish with some horrible terror, and in his hands he clutched a small rifle. "Oh, thank God!" he gasped. "You've gotta help me! Do you...do you have a craft? Please, we have to get away, we're not safe!"

Ylsal rose and strode up to the newcomer, a dark and angry look on her face. "Hang on! You're with the fighters, aren't you? I know that symbol you wear!" She stabbed an accusing finger at the symbol on the left breast of his shirt.

"You don't understand," he sobbed desperately.

"Oh, I understand all right!" Ylsal spat, nearly nose to nose with him now. "You came here to bag some dinos for your stupid games, but the dinos have bagged your bunch! Well pardon me if I'm not very sympathetic!"

"Ylsal, wait," the Doctor said then, approaching them. Looking intently at the man, the Doctor asked him "What's your name, and what happened?"

The man swallowed nervously. "My name's Klen. The dinosaurs...something's gone wrong with the dinosaurs. Something not natural..."


	2. Chapter 2

_**FOUR DAYS EARLIER**_

"And here it is, folks, the moment you've all been waiting for!" the announcer sat in his booth high above the arena and the crowds said into his speaker. "Please rise and give a big round of applause for Kovos' supreme dinosaur fighter: The one, the only...Dolric Justinian!" The crowd gave a thunderous roar as the large doors at the northern end of the arena swung open and Dolric himself strode out into the sunlight, the armoured battle suit he was strapped into boosting his height to nine feet. Flashing a dazzling smile, he saluted the ecstatic crowd with his power-lance held aloft.

The applause died down to a hush of tense, excited expectation as Dolric looked at the doors across from him, behind which could be heard snuffling and growling. Filled with confidence Dolric shouted "Let them come!" With a crash the gates were flung open and, with louder roars, two adult specimens of carnotaurus charged out onto the sand, swinging their blunt, bulldog-like heads on powerful necks as they observed their environment. Their eyes blinked below the short horns atop their skulls. Then those same eyes fixed on Dolric, and they lowered their heads menacingly and stalked towards him whilst snarling.

Carnotaurs were among Dolric's favorite dinosaurs to fight; their skulls made such fascinating trophies. Devil-bulls, some called them, for their tempers as well as their horned appearance. "Well come on then!" he taunted the two now slowly approaching him. "I don't have all day!"

Uttering a ferocious bellow the nearest carnotaur lunged forward, to be hurled back by a blow to the snout from Dolric's lance, which elicited a screech of pain and rage from the saurian and chorus of approval from the multitude of spectators. Dolric laughed, basking in his confidence as he started to step forward in his suit to continue the glorious sport...

And that was when it happened. No sooner had it touched the sandy floor than the mechanical extension of his left leg suddenly froze and the servo-motors gave a short series of tortured groans and gurgles. The next instant saw his lance thud to the ground, dropped by now useless steel hands. After that, Dolric's whole world became horror and agony as both carnotaurs slammed him onto his back and began tearing at metal and flesh.

In his booth the announcer was screaming. "Jesu Apollo, where are the guards! Get them off of him NOW! Clear the damn arena, get the MEDICS!"

OOOOOOOO

The voice and expression of the newsreader on the public screen later that afternoon was solemn as he announced the tragic death of Dolric Justinian, the planet's beloved prime fighter of dinosaurs, due to a systems malfunction in his battle suit. This was instantly accompanied by footage of wailing and weeping mourners gathered in the streets to pay homage to their fallen idol.

There followed an interview with Dolric's tearful husband. "He was so perfect," he was sobbing into the camera. "Everyone loved him so much! I can't...I just can't believe he's gone forever...it's so unfair...!"

The days passed, the grief continued unabated. At a press conference Prime Minister Norag made a statement that was broadcast across all of Kovos: "Dolric was a hero to us all. And as a hero, he deserves a truly glorious send-off. He deserves deeds of valor in his name. Tomorrow a ship will set off for Siluria, the home planet of the beasts which took his life, carrying the fighters who knew knew him, for a very special event. Far from Kovos, but watched by us all, they will battle and slay dinosaurs on their home ground. Honor and vengeance for Dolric!"

OOOOOOOO

With the last power rod planted firmly in the ground, Klen activated a switch on his handheld control pad and, with a brief crackle, the energy barrier encircling the ship was in operation as night swiftly fell over Siluria. Klen surveyed his handiwork and nodded in satisfaction, before turning and walking towards the open hatchway in the side of the ship, bypassing the carcass of the baryonyx they had killed earlier that day. "Fence is up and running, lads," he said to the three fighters lounging in the mess room.

"Good work, Klen," Brant said, not even looking up from his pad as he watched the footage shot earlier of him battling the baryonyx. "Let me know if a lizard comes along though," he added. "I only got one kill today, and I like to go to sleep on at least two." He chuckled and Klen noticed, not for the first time, how unbothered by Dolric's death he seemed. Brant had always been second to Dolric in the arena, and no doubt relished the opportunity to surpass his rival's glories.

"Don't get too greedy, Brant," Welner, fighter, commented. "And remember the main reason we're here: To honor Dolric, not ourselves."

Brant opened his mouth to reply, paused, then shut it, shrugged and went back to gazing at his pad. After a moment of silence the tele-unit mounted from the ceiling above them blinked to life, displaying the face of the captain. "Pardon the interruption, boys," he announced, "but it looks like we have some visitors."

"Visitors? You mean dinos?" Klen queried.

The captain nodded. "Yeah, but...well, I think there may be something a bit...odd going on. Perhaps you should look for yourselves." The screen switched then to an exterior view in night-vision. Several yards beyond the fence around the ship could be seen three dinosaurs. When the fighters saw them, they instantly knew what the captain meant.

"What the hell?" Welner muttered. The dinosaurs were all of different species: A hadrosaur, a styracosaurus...and a tyrannosaurus; all stood close together, immobile, watching the ship. The air was not cold, yet Klen shivered.

"Right, people," Brant was saying. "Think it's time to suit up!" He turned to go, then stopped and turned round when saw the others were just standing there, still looking at the animals gathered outside. "What? It's nothing we ain't fought before. What's the matter with you?"

"This...this isn't normal, man," Welner said.

"Welner's right," Klen added. "I mean, look at them. When did you last see a T-rex with a hadro and a styrac, like that? I don't like it."

Brant stared at them and gave a short laugh of derision. "Fine, have it your way. I'm getting myself some fun." And he walked briskly out of the room.

OOOOOOOO

Some minutes later, Klen and the others watched on the screen as Brant, in his battle suit, approached the fence, beyond which still stood the dinosaurs. The creatures had not moved an inch or made a single sound since they had first appeared. At a signal from Brant, Klen cut the power to the fence to allow him to step through. As soon as he was past, Klen reactivated it. They saw Brant hefting his lance. They saw him drop it and his limbs start jerking and flailing uncontrollably. They heard him yelling in panic.

They, along with the captain and the few crew members, came running outside, armed with guns, just in time to see Brant's battle suit ripped from his body by some invisible force - and then his body itself torn apart in the same manner. The dinosaurs bellowed in unison and advanced forward over what was left of Brant. "Not possible...not possible!" Klen screamed as the energy barrier protecting them sparked, fizzled and collapsed before the beasts approaching them.

"Jesu, the guns won't fire!" the captain yelled as he frantically jabbed at the controls on his weapon. Behind them the ship was rocked by an explosion from within; a plume of flame blossomed from the open hatch, engulfing Welner, the last fighter, and two of the crew. The last thread of Welner's courage broke and he fled into the shadows of the jungle. Behind him he heard the crash as the styracosaurus rammed into the ship, and the captain's scream cut off as the T-rex scooped him up in its' jaws...


	3. Chapter 3

"I was running all night," Klen told the Doctor and Ylsal, all three of them sat together at Ylsal's camp near the TARDIS. Ylsal had only grudgingly allowed Klen here; she still glared at him from time to time, but was thankfully silent. "When I heard your voices," Klen said, "I just homed in on you. Anything not to be alone here. I've no way to contact home...I don't even know if they've sent a rescue ship yet."

All through Klen's story the Doctor had listened quietly. Now he got to his feet and began pacing up and down. Suddenly he stopped and said "Ylsal, pack your things. We're leaving this planet." He did not look at them, just stared off into the distance and his own thoughts.

Ylsal started slightly at the order. "You really think we're all in danger?" she asked. "You and me aren't here to hurt the dinos."

"True, but I'm not prepared to risk your life by assuming they'll keep that in mind," the Doctor responded. "From what Klen here has told us, something -some new element - has fundamentally altered the dinosaurs here, and it's a fair bet it's also made them very angry. Angry beings have a tendency to lash out at just about anything. I'd feel a great deal more at ease if you were out of the way if, and when, that happens. And besides, we can't have Klen running round here loose, can we...far too dangerous."

OOOOOOOO

"Yes, it's bigger on the inside," the Doctor said as he opened the TARDIS doors and led his two companions down the short flight of steps into the shadowy, oak-panelled control room. "Two words: Dimensional transcendentalism. Practically kindergarten stuff where I come from."

"But it can take us back to Kovos, right?" Klen asked with a faint twinge of anxiety in his voice.

The Doctor was manipulating the controls on the table-like console as he replied "Don't worry that small head of yours, Klen, you'll be home safe and sound very shortly. You too, Ylsal."

"What happens when he get back?" Ylsal asked.

"'What happens'?" Klen parrotted. "Government sends in a strike force to nuke those lizards on Siluria before they kill anyone else, that's what! Stupid bloody question!" As he sat down and checked his gun, Ylsal glanced at the Doctor and saw him silently mouth 'pudding brain', causing her to grin despite the situation.

The journey from Siluria to Kovos was only a short hop, and the TARDIS landed in under a minute. What they found upon exiting the craft, however, was most certainly not comforting. They were in a city street, and people were stumbling around, collapsing and clutching their heads whilst crying out in pain. Some unaffected individuals were trying to help, but there were too few to do any real good.

Klen's face was pale with fright as he looked about him. "What's happening, what is this, what's going on, WHAT!" he was babbling hysterically.

"I don't quite know," the Doctor replied, "but I'd be very surprised if it isn't connected in some way to your super-powered dinosaur chums!"

"Doctor..." At the sound of Ylsal's strained voice, the Doctor turned to see her swaying unsteadily, then letting out a groan of agony and falling to her knees. A few seconds later she was screaming.

OOOOOOOO

It was yet another short hop to get Ylsal and Klen to a hospital. The Doctor watched as two nurses secured Ylsal, sweating and thrashing, on a bed. The mystery ailment had crippled over half the planet; emergency services were barely able to cope. There had already been a number of deaths reported. Reluctantly tearing himself from his new friend, the Doctor marched through the building to where the TARDIS stood just outside the main entrance, and muttered to himself "Whatever is doing this just went too far...It ends, or I end."


	4. Chapter 4

The cave was extremely ancient, dating back to long before the coming of the dinosaurs to Siluria. It would have been pitch dark, where it not for the glowing sheen of energy surrounding the weirdly designed machine which stood humming in the centre of the floor. The dazzling light was reflected in the sluggish waters of an underground stream nearby. It also revealed the figure of a man sat with his back against a boulder a few feet from the machine. He was old, nearly bald and with a sickly pallor. Every once in a while he grasped his chest with a shaking hand and gave a cough that echoed through the tunnels.

He was suddenly startled by a different sound: Loose stones shifting and clattering, disturbed by movement. "Who's there?" he hoarsely croaked, searching the shadows. From one of the tunnels appeared the form of the Doctor.

"I tracked the source of the energy here," the Doctor said as he walked slowly forward, his footsteps loud on the cold stone. "Pretty impressive piece of technology you have there," he added while nodding at the glowing contraption, then brought his eyes to bear on the only other occupant of the chamber. "I'd be very interested to know how you came across something so interesting. Not something you invented yourself, is it?"

The old man coughed before replying. "I only know what the alien trader who sold it to me told me, and he wouldn't tell me where he found it. Just what it's capable of. It can accelerate the development of entire species, augment their intelligence, give them whole new abilities! Once I figured out how to operate it, I knew I had to bring it here. The dinosaurs won't be abused and killed for the pleasure of Kovos any longer! From now on the humans will have to respect the great saurians!" He gave a series of harsh coughs and wheezed. "I did what I could, regardless of myself, to bring an end to injustice!"

The Doctor squatted down beside him, a mixed cloud of sorrow, admiration and anger in his face and eyes as he spoke. "You hate the suffering of innocents; I can't fault you for that.. It burns and burns in your heart, torments you until your soul screams 'NO MORE!' and you just have to do something! I know, I feel it too...but I'm afraid you messed up in a big way and, because of your machine, we're all in great danger. It's boosted the dinosaurs' intelligence and abilities, all right...to the extent they're now launching a massive psychic attack against Kovos...against everyone, not just the fighters! Soon the whole human population of the planet could be dead! I hope that's not what you want, because I cannot and will not permit it! I'm sorry; I know you meant well."

Doing his best to ignore the cry of the old man, the Doctor stood, whipped his sonic screwdriver from out of his coat pocket, and aimed it at the dazzling alien machine. The screwdriver trilled and the machine responded with a gurgle, followed by a brief flash as its' circuits blew. The glow flickered and went out. Standing in the now lightless cave, the Doctor fished out and switched on a flashlight and shone it towards the old man. He drew a heavy sigh as he realized the man had ceased to breathe.

OOOOOOOO

"They tell me I'll probably be allowed out tomorrow," Ylsal told the Doctor. "They just have to run a few more tests, just to make sure." She sat up in her hospital bed, the Doctor seated in a chair beside her as warm sunlight from the window washed over them both. "I just hope people have learnt something from all this," she sighed.

"Change for the better seldom happens overnight," the Doctor said. "It's the curse of the visionaries, the outsiders - the _real_ fighters - that they must so often wait so long for justice and wisdom to take hold with the masses. In the meantime they just have to keep striving without becoming so desperate that they try to force change before its time, and forget the bystanders who may get hurt in the process."

"Ylsal?" a new voice said. Ylsal looked up and the Doctor turned round. In the doorway to the room stood a man. As the Doctor looked, he saw the man had the same mismatched eyes as Ylsal.

"Dad..." Ylsal said, suprise and uncertainty written on her face.

"I...I thought I'd see if you were alright," her father said nervously. "I was worried...please...can I come in?"

The Doctor looked from him to Ylsal and, seeing her pained expression, gently grasped her hand. "I have to go now," he said softly to her, "But I'll leave you with one piece of advice: Forgiveness is a powerful thing...and it can be the start of great and wonderful change." And with that, the Doctor stood up and walked out of the room, to let the future take its' course. The TARDIS awaited him...along with new adventures.

OOOOOOOO

On Siluria, the sun rose in the pink sky as the mother triceratops muched walked across the grassy plain, keeping a close eye on its' young. Pterodactyls swooped and cried out overhead. It was a new day...and there were many more to come.


End file.
